In Sunday School, we  have been studying the stories of Mary and Martha. Whole books have been written over Jesus’ rebuke to Martha.

We see this story in Luke 10. The part that has been studied and discussed for centuries is found in verses 40-42:

But Martha was cumbered [over-occupied, too busy] about much serving, [used often as the word minister – Acts 1:25. 6:4, 6:25, 12:25] and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful [to be anxious; to be troubled with cares] and troubled [to be troubled in mind, disquieted] about many things: But one thing is needful [necessary]: and Mary hath chosen that good [excellent, distinguished; upright, honourable] part, which shall not be taken away from her.

As we looked at this passage, we noticed some pros about Martha:

• She was a servant. Ministering to others is commended in God’s Word.
• She was a hard worker.
• She was capable.

But of course we know that she had some cons too:

• She was too busy — so busy that she was stressed about it and developed a bad spirit about her service.
• She accused Jesus of not caring.
• She told Jesus what to do.
• She was anxious and troubled in mind. She was worrying.
• She did not have the right priorities.

Martha was cumbered about much serving;” she was distracted by the many things she was trying to do. It is possible for a follower of Christ to attempt too much; sometimes this is due to a sense of self-importance and of pride. It may result in such a mood of irritation and temper as was shown by Martha when in criticizing her sisters he humiliated her by rebuking her in the presence of their Guest, and by addressing the remark to him rebuked him as well, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister did leave me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” In his reply Jesus showed his affection by tenderly repeating her name, but he rebuked her spirit and revealed its cause, “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” There was no need for an elaborate meal; but few things or one would have sufficed; yet one thing was needful, and that Mary had chosen, for while the Master does appreciate all that we undertake for him, he knows that our first need is to sit at his feet and learn his will; then in our tasks we shall be calm and peaceful and kindly, and at last our service may attain the perfectness of that of Mary when in a later scene she poured upon the feet of Jesus the ointment, the perfume of which still fills the world. Charles R Erdman

I see myself in Martha, but I don’t see myself too much in Mary. I was very convicted by the cons. I am very busy. I get a bad attitude sometimes about my service. I don’t take the time to sit at Jesus’ feet like I should. My priorities definitely need some work. I think I know what God should do in my life. I can worry about things I cannot control.

I know I am not the only way that feels this way. No wonder God included this story in His Word! I’m sure there are many more Marthas in this world than there are Marys.

As I studied to teach about these interactions Jesus had with Mary and Martha, I liked some notes I found my David Guzik. He mentions how there are other examples of having the right priorities in the Bible. Look at these verses:

• One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
• When Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “You still lack one thing…come, follow Me.” (Luke 18:22)
• Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

David Guzik shares what that one needful thing, sitting at the feet of Jesus or to have the ONE THING that is truly important,  means:

• To sit at the feet of Jesus implies readiness to accept and obey what Jesus teaches

• To sit at the feet of Jesus implies submission to Jesus; rebellion is done with

• To sit at the feet of Jesus implies faith in who Jesus is

• To sit at the feet of Jesus implies discipleship

• To sit at the feet of Jesus implies love

Are you sitting at the feet of Jesus?

If you aren’t, there is still time to do that one, needful thing. Martha did! When Lazarus died, she was the first out of the house to go see Jesus. When she sees Him, she remarks that if he had been there, Lazarus would not have died. As they continue their conversation, Jesus asks her if she truly believes that He is the resurrection and the life. She answers, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” 

Even though her brother died, she believed that He was her Messiah. 

It is also interesting to note that in the last interaction we have with Martha, it is mentioned that she is serving.

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Martha is still serving, but her attitude must have now been right because she is not rebuked. It is wonderful to serve; God wants us to serve! But He wants us to do it because we love Him. He wants us to do it in such a way that He receives the glory. He wants us to do it not of duty but out of delight!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

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Since getting back from South Africa last Friday, I have been very busy. School is back in session so I am teaching there; I taught my Sunday School class; I’m cooking for our senior citizens lunch tomorrow; there is a ladies activity on Sunday; our water softener got fixed; I went grocery shopping; I signed my son up for basketball and took him to a practice; we went to our co-op on Tuesday . . . the list goes on and on.

Even though I could share some thoughts from my Sunday School lesson, I thought instead I would share some of your posts I enjoyed reading. Here they are!

• Reminders by A New Lens — I liked her last  point:

Those coming after us need to know what has sustained us during the hard times, the failures, the doubting times in our lives. That can build their own faith and nudge them when they are tempted to believe no one has faced anything as difficult as they face.

• Stay Faithful & Trust God by Soul Survival

But ultimately we must choose to meditate on and believe His promises and learn to rest in His grace. There is nothing that will happen in this world and nothing that can happen in our lives apart from His sovereign care and control. Believing that and living like we do is what it means to trust in Him.

• 10 Simple Ways to Appreciate Your Spouse More from Confessions of Parenting

I like her point about looking for the positives.

For every negative thought you have you think of 5 positive ones!

• Standing Secure from Hope Secure

God promises that even though storms will come – some that threaten to shake the foundations of our life, He will stay by our side and help us through. He hears our cries! He will secure justice for the poor and He will uphold the cause of the needy. 

• Six Reasons Why Christian Women Fellowship is Very Important from Unshakeable Joy

• How To Teach Kids to Get Rid of Toys from Confessions of Parenting

• Reintegration from Jennifer Lambert

Enjoy this articles and link up some of your articles!

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A discussion came up in Sunday School about why Jesus tells the Syrophoenician woman and the disciples that He is come only to the lost sheep of Israel but then He went ahead and granted the Syrophoenician’s daughter. Someone said, “Didn’t He just contradict what He just said? So I went home and researched this topic, and I hope what I found can help someone!

Purpose statements Jesus gave of why he was here on earth:

• Luke 19:10– For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
• Matthew 20:28 – Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
• John 12:47-50 – Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
• Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (Die on the cross so that all could be saved) John 4:34
• For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. John 6:38

Why does it say salvation went to the Jews first and then to the Greek (Gentiles)?

We see Paul say in Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Why does Jesus say to the disciples, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15: 24).”

Why did He say this statement to the Samaritan woman?

You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”  John 4:22

Jesus came to the Jews and salvation is from the Jews. What do those statements mean?

Jesus came to the Jews first with the salvation message as the promised Messiah come in flesh. They refused the message and the messenger (as a whole/as a nation). Those who did believe (such as His disciples and His apostles) took the message to the whole known world after Jesus ascended up into heaven; so therefore, salvation came from the Jews. (John 4:22 above) Also salvation came from the Jews because God had a covenant with Abraham. Jesus was the fulfillment of that covenant, He was a Jew and therefore salvation came from the Jews .

Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews had been anticipating for centuries (see Luke 2:25; 3:15). As such, He was born into a Jewish family and was reared according to Jewish law in a Jewish town (see Luke 2:27; Galatians 4:4). Jesus selected Jewish disciples, spoke in Jewish synagogues and the Jewish temple, and traveled mostly in Jewish areas. His mission, in fulfillment of the Jewish prophets, was to the Jewish people.

Jesus’ focus was on reforming Israel, not bringing his kingdom message to the rest of the world. His focus on Israel can be seen in his prophecies and pronouncements of judgment on the nation. Through symbolic, prophetic actions like cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14, 20-25; Matt 21:18-22) and cleansing the temple (Mark 11:15-19; Matt 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48, John 2:13-16), as well as strong prophetic denunciations (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21, 13:6-9), Jesus made his particular focus on Israel clear.

None of this means that Jesus’ ministry was limited exclusively to the Jews. Anyone who had faith received salvation (even Gentiles – we see this with the Syophoenician woman and the centurion, and the Samaritan woman). As the Syrophoenician woman kept up her appeals, Jesus finally responded, but His words seemed to hold little hope: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (verse 24). Here he was just defining His focus to His disciples. He was training them. They needed to know His ultimate purpose. However, the woman did not give up, and Jesus eventually granted her request, based on her “great faith” (verse 28). Here they can see that He did love the Gentiles and that His salvation was for everyone – which the disciples would need to know as it was their purpose/mission to take the salvation message to everyone. (All the Great Commission verses in Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20 and more) He was here for 3 years; His mission was to present Himself as the Messiah and to die on the cross. The disciples’ mission was to take that news to everyone.

We see His love for Gentiles in the way He healed a Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1–10), traveled through the Gentile region of the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1), and ministered in a Samaritan city (John 4). Jesus came to save everybody (1 John 2:2).

I found some of this info at https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Jews-only.html

More good articles:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/why-did-jesus-say-he-came-only-for-israel/

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/to-the-jew-first-and-also-to-the-greek

There are 3 giveaways still going on. Go enter them!

• Paper Monograms Kit Giveaway
• GAME ON! MORE: Awesome Activities for Clever Kids
• Making Your Own Greeting Cards and Gift Wrap book

Next Thursday, I will still be in South Africa visiting my sister. I got this post up before I left, but I  will probably not have a post next week as I will not have much access to the internet. Maybe I will be able to do one there. If I do, I will send you an email. Thanks!

The thoughtful topics for your posts could be related to but not limited to the following topics:

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